Starting device for motor-driven vehicles



. H. KNECHT. STARTING DEVICE FOR MOTOR DRIVEN VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 10, I920- Patented Nov. 21', 1922";

Patented Nov. 21, lQZZ.

UNEITEE STATES PATENT QFFHQCEO HEINRICH KNECH'I, OF NEUH.A.USEN,SWITZERLAIQ'D, ASSIGNOR TO THE FIRM SCHWEIZERISCHE INDUSTBIEGESELLSCHAFT, OF NEUHAUSEN, SWITZER- LAND.

STARTING DEVICE FOR MOTOR-DRIVEN VEHICLES.

Application filed December 10, 1920. Serial No. 429,739.

To all whomit may concern:

Be it known that I, HEINRICH Knnoii'r, a citizen of the Republic 'ofSwitzerland, residing at Neuhausen, Schaffhauserstrasse 67 5,Switzerland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inStarting Devices for Motor-Driven Vehicles; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a clear, full, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing,and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a partof this specification.

The invention relates to improvements in starting devices for motordriven vehicles and especially for motors which must start with no-loador with a small initial load and with which the load can only be thrownon at higher speeds, as for instance is the case with internalcombustion engines.

According to the intention the starting device comprises means togenerate a pressure liquid and means driven by said pres sure liquidwhich means can be interposed between the motor and the drivingmechanism of a vehicle so that the motor drives the means generating thepressure liquid and the second mentioned means are coupled to thedriving mechanism, whereby the shocks occuring when starting the vehicleare absorbedby the liquid and a smooth start of the vehicle is attained.

An exemplification of the invention is diagrammatically shown on theaccompany in drawing in which:

ig. l is a vertical longitudinal section of a vehicle fitted with thestarting device,

Fig. 2 shows the starting device fitted to an elevator drive.

1 denotes an internal combustion engine on the shaft of which afly-wheel 2 and a pinion 3 of a reduction gear 3* are mounted. The shaft4 to which the other wheel of the reduction spur-gear 8 is fixed isconnected by means of a coupling 5 to a shaft 6 of a change speed gear 7the latter being connected by means of shaft 8 and bevel gear 9 to thedriving wheels 10.

The motor shaft is operatively connected to a pump 12 through theinterposition of a friction coupling, one part of which is formed by thefly-wheel 2 and the other part by a friction disc 11. The pump 12delivers the liquid into a receiver 14, a pipe 15 fitted with a throttlevalve 13 leads from the receiver 14 to a turbine 16. Spur gearing 17, 17and a coupling 18 is interposed between the turbine and the shaft 6. Thecouplings or clutches 5 and 18 are operated by a hand lever a andsuitable connecting elements.

In order to actuate the driving wheels 10 coupling 5 is thrown out andthe couplings 2, 11 and 18 are thrown in, whereupon the motor is startedup. Thereby the pump 12 is rotated and it draws the water discharged bythe turbine and presses the water through the receiver 14 into theturbine 16. The turbine actuated by the pressure water transmits therotary motion through the spur gearing 17 17 and shaft 6 to the changegear 7 and from there to the driving wheels 10. After the latter arebrought up to speed the coupling 5 can be thrown in and the directtransmission of motion from the motor 1 through spur gearing 3, shaft 4and shaft 6 of the change gear 7 to the driving wheels can be effectedand the pump 12 as well as the turbine 16 can be cut out by disengagingthe couplings 2, 11 and 1.8.

During the starting period the motive power of the motor acts upon thedevice producing the pressure liquid which in its turn actuates thedriving mechanism of the driving wheels, in consequence thereof theshocks resulting from the throwing in and out are absorbed by theliquid.

By means of the valve 13 the pressure of the liquid and thereby theoutput of the motor can be throttled by degrees. The valve 13 permitsthe liquid to be gradually admitted to the turbines while the reservoir1 contains sufficient liquid to compensate for losses due to leakagefrom the system and also acts as a cooling device for the liquid. Itwill naturally contain air, and the quantity of air will vary inaccordance with the leakage from the system.

This invention enables the avoidance of the danger which exists withmotors of larger outputs than the masses, to which a sudden accelerationhas to be imparted when clutching in the motor, that might cause astoppage of the latter or a damaging of the transmission gear. In thestarting gear according to the invention the motor actuates the meansfor generating a gradually increasing hydraulic pressure and the o capressure liquid actuates the driving noechanism to which a graduallyincreasing speed is imparted.

By means of the starting device described above vehicles on an inclinecan be braked by throttling the liquid passage between the pump and theturbine. Such a device may also be used for actuating elevators as isillustrated in Fig. 2. Motor, pump, turbine and the shatting arearranged in a similar manner to that shown in Fig 1 for driving avehicle, with the exception that a rope drum 2-0 is fixed to shaft 8 andactuated by the latter, the rope serving to hoist'and lower an elevator,which is not shown in the drawing. The energy of the descending elevatorcan be braked by throttling the liquid y between pump and turbine.

I claim:

starting device for motor driven V6 hicles, in combination, means forgenerating pressure on a liquid, and operatively connected to the motor,means actuated by said pressure liquid, a change speed gear interposedbetween the motor and the driving wheels, and coupling means to cut outthe operative connections between the motor and said means forgenerating pressure on the liquid and also between said means and themeans actuated by said pressure liquid after the motor has run up to itssubstantially normal speed and means to switch in the operativeconnections between the motor and the change speed gear.

2. A starting device for motor driven vehicles, in combination, meansfor generating pressure on a liquid, and operatively connected to themotor, means actuated by said pressure liquid, a change speed gearinterposed between the motor and the driving wheels, coupling means tocut out the op erative connections between the motor and said means forgenerating pressure on the liquid and also between said means actuatedby said pressure liquid and said change speed gear after the motor hasrun up to its substantially normal speed and means to connect the motorand the change speed gear, and a throttling device interposed be tweensaid means for generating pressure liquid and said means actuated bysaid pres sure liquid.

3. A starting device for motor-driven apparatus that has an enginedriving a change speed mechanism, in combination with a couplinginterposed between said engine and mechanism, a pump, a coupling betweenthe pump and engine, a liquid motor driven by said pump and adisconnectable driving connection between said motor and mechanism.

4-. A starting device for motor driven apparatus employing an engine andchange speed mechanism, in combination with a clutch interposed betweensaid engine and mechanism, a pump, a clutch between the pump and engine,a liquid motor driven by the liquid from said pump, means to deliver thedischarge of said liquid motor to said pump, means to connect anddisconnect said liquid motor from said mechanism and means to controlthe flow of liquid througa said liquid motor.

5. A starting device for motor driven apparatus employing an engine andchange speed mechanism; in combination with means to permit theconnection and disconnection of said engine and mechanism, a

pump driven by said engine, a clutch between them, a liquid receiversupplied with liquid by said pump, a liquid motor supplied with liquidfrom said receiver, means to con nect and disconnect said motor fromsaid mechanism, means to connect the motor discharge to the pump inletand means to throttle the liquid supply to said motor.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signedmy name.

HEINRICH KNECHT.

